the_last_resort | Wander Log

Entry tags:

Wander Log | The Kitten

Who: Everyone
What: Wander spends time with his new kitten
When: M11 D3
Where: Outside the resort building
Notes & Warnings: Two starters: one closed to Niko and one open to all

For Niko

It was a regular day working at the resort. There were several calls to businesses in town as usual, with an occasional filing job, but not too many people were staying in the lobby, which was his go-to place for interesting conversations during his breaks.

He was arranging several vases of flowers near the windows when he spotted Niko walking towards the resort. Wander gave him a wave and made his way closer to the door to greet him once he entered.

Gardens

There's an orange alien squealing with joy in the gardens, but he's easy to finding considering that he's sitting right by the small fountain. Right next to him is a black and white, four-eyed kitten, meekly pawing at a long piece of grass Wander was dangling in front of it.

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When Niko showed up, he was carrying a green sweater. At least what looked like just a wadded up green sweater. He had bought it at the Market, and despite the trials of having stuck one of the cats parents in a smaller one he decided it was pretty good to have one of the automatically warming things around to transport it and keep it calm.

"Hey, I don't know if this is a good time," he said when he saw Wander, "but I brought you something."

He held a tiny, confused ball of fluff out to him. Wait. Now that he looked at the kitten, it was less tiny compared to Wander. Oh. Huh. Not that he figured that was a problem, but he guess the cat would end up like a big dog by Wander one day.

"Hey, Wander!"

Ben had been nose down in the lab and missed Christmas almost entirely. Including the gift exchange. His hastily wrapped present's in one hand.

It's a little field kit on a shoulderstrap. As often as the little fellow got lost, having a flashlight, a few flares and a few first aid supplies seemed like a good idea.

Linda, wearing her security patrol uniform, is walking around the gardens when she spots Wander and the cat. She smiles at the sight, as it's rather adorable, though both of them also look terribly strange to her. "Hello." Getting closer, she blinks down at the cat, seizing on that as an easy conversation starter--and probably a better one than, say, asking this small person why he's orange. "Do all the animals here have four eyes?"

"Mornin', Niko! Whatcha got there?" Obviously, there was something important in that sweater, otherwise he wouldn't be walking around carrying a wrapped up sweater like that.

He eyed the unwrapping with a relaxed smile. Maybe it was a cake, or a cute trinket Niko picked up. Or it could be a neat rock he found outside the village while taking a walk.

...or it could be an animal. Those ears. That adorable nose. It could only be one thing.

"It's here!" He jumped several times to get a better view of the kitten. "It's so adorable! An' it's here! Can I hold him now? Can I?"

"Hello, ma'am." It's the least he can say while distracted by his new adorable pet. "No, not really, but seems like cats here do." The kitten rolls over onto its back and yawns.

"Aww, look at it! How can somethin' be born so cute? Tell, me Lil' Bits!"

Judging by what he just said, it sounds like that's what the kitten's name is.

"Ben!" He's really tempted to run over and give his friend and quick hug, but he can't just abandon his little baby like that. Instead, he gently picks up the kitten in his arms and stands up.

"Oh wow, I almost forgot 'bout that!" The memory of the exchange was a bit forgotten after receiving his pet. "But you're a real pal for rememberin'."

"It almost got lost in the shuffle, sorry about that. But here you go. Who's this little sweetheart?" Ben crouches down on his haunches for a kitten-viewing.

"Here you go, friend." He crouched to hold the animal out in his gloved hand. It squirmed some, like it was trying to find purchase or balance.

"It should be big enough to take care of itself. Remember, when it is grown if you feed it a too much, it will start looking for boyfriends or girlfriends. I forgot that, so ah.... that's how I ended up with a kitten in the first place." Awkward. But still, Wander seemed happy enough and he knew he'd take care of it.

"I'm glad it's turning out good for you. You going to take it if you go travelling again?"

She wrinkles her nose at the title. "It's Linda. But yeah, definitely cute." She steps over with a smile, leaning down to join them, though she leaves the petting to Wander for the moment. His choice of name seems interesting for a kitten, but she figures it's better not to comment. "How about you? I don't think I've run into you before."

In fact, she's sure she hasn't since she's sure she would have remembered someone so small and orange, but she figures it always pays to be polite at a first meeting.

"Oooh!" Words failed him. The kitten was adorable and it was too helpless at the moment to be ignored, and Wander wrapped his arms around it as supportive as he could for a tiny alien.

"Look at you!" He cooed to the baby animal. "You're gonna have the best time of your life here!" Maybe he'll remember Niko advice on not feeding it too much. But for now it's not on his mind.

"Oh, maybe not for now. She's too young to go out explorin' on her own. But she'll be with me when I'm headin' to town!"

"Oh, sorry, Linda ma'am. I was talkin' to my pet here." He has a tendency to automatically direct anything he says to the cutest thing in the room.

He gave the oddly-named kitten a few pats and stands up. "I'm Wander! It's a pleasure to finally meetcha!"

"If you ever want it to play with it's parents, I have one and Boone has the other. I am sure they would be happy to have it around. Whenever I leave the village, I usually try to keep mine around to keep the creepers away."

He was pretty sure Boone was more worried about the fate of the kitten than he was letting on, but he was also pretty sure the offer would help. Maybe it could set him more at ease with it. Niko was pretty happy Wander was gung ho about it.

She gives him a look when he proceeds to call her ma'am again, wondering if he's going to keep doing it and if it's worth it to try to convince him not to. She ultimately decides to give a protest one more try and then let him do what he wants.

"No--just Linda. And nice to meet you, too...Wander." It's another odd name; she's starting to wonder what sort of place this strange person might be from, but she's still trying not to accidentally be rude. "I don't know about finally. I've gotta admit, I haven't really been here for long. Have you?"

Since he's left the cat free, she leans forward to offer it her hand, letting it bat and sniff at her if it wants to.

"Aww, but she's so little! I'm not lettin' her fight off creepers right now!" The kitten decided it was bored with being held and tried to climb onto Wander's head. "See? She's already happy like this!"

The weight of the animal caused him to tip over a little, but he was able to catch his balance. "Y'know, you're right. It'd be a great idea for this little one to meet her ma and pa. Ain't that right?" He picked the kitten off of his head and held it in front of him. "And you're gonna need a name!"

"Oh, well, I've been here for a few months, meetin' folks that already left by now, helpin' out here an' there. It's a really neat planet, and I haven't seen all of it yet!"

He keeps a watchful eye on the kitten and it pokes its nose against Linda's hand a few times before softly meowing.

"She likes you!"

He didn't bother trying to clarify that the animals on the planet were both genders- mostly because he and Boone arbitrarily decided one was the mother and one was the father, even if one had it and one weened it and they ended up thoroughly confused by that.

Tough guys generally weren't good with these kinds of things.

"Maybe you'll be lucky and it will be as affectionate as it's mother. Mine is pretty sweet. She just wants attention all the time. And don't worry, creepers don't even like to be near them. Your baby shall be safe."

Linda nods her agreement. "Yeah, it seems like there's a lot to do around here." Chester's Mill didn't have any attractions like a resort, so she has a feeling most places would seem like "a lot" to her. Still, she can't help being impressed. "The gardens are nice. And...really huge."

She smiles, reaching out to pet the kitten now--and then to scratch its chin a bit. "Usually I have better luck with dogs, but she's really friendly."

"I know, right? This place is a popular vacation spot, and it really lives up to its name!" Never mind that Wander hasn't heard of this place until someone mentioned it. Resort towns were interesting places in general.

"There's an arcade in town. We can all go there sometime: you, an' me, an' Lil' Bits here." He leaned down to pet the kitten, who turned its attention back to its owner.

His offer surprises her. Then again, he's not the first person here to catch her off-guard by being quick to invite her to do something. She wonders if it's because of the bigger population here or if it's just because the imports feel a need to stick together. Either way, she appreciates the invitation.

"I'm not sure if the arcade would let you bring in your cat..." She straightens, letting Wander be the object of its affection again. "But sure. I'd like to see what it's like."

Unthinkingly, she twists the engagement ring on her finger as she speaks. If only Rusty were here, they'd have definitely gone there together already. But at least she's meeting nice people here so far; she's taking comfort in that. Wander might be strange, but he also seems to be friendly in equal measures.

He looks back at his kitten, whose attention is now caught by a leaf on the ground, and back to Linda. "Well, if she's well-behaved, I guess they can let her in. But if not, who's gonna watch over her?" He gives her a shrug and his smile leaves. "She's just a baby, and I can't leave her all by her lonesome in my room."

She frowns at his reaction; she hadn't meant to ruin his idea, but he has a point. She tilts her head thoughtfully. "How about we see if they'll let her in first?" she suggests. "Then we'll worry about what to do if they say no."

It's a very real issue, and at least Wander was thinking it through before running to the arcade with the kitten in hand. "We could try that, yeah." Thank the stars that Linda was here to help him out.

He crouched down and faced the kitten again. "Say, Lil' Bits, wanna check out the arcade?" It ignored him, preferring to continue pawing at the leaf.

"I'm sure she'd love to go once she's done playin'!"

Linda is wondering at what point this conversation turned into an immediate arcade trip, but she supposes she doesn't have anywhere else she needs to be. When the kitten seems much more interested in the garden than other prospects, though, she considers their options. "What if I meet you here later? That would give her time to play."

And it would give Linda a bit more time to explore the gardens, so she figures it's a positive for them both.

It was always a conversation about spending time with your pets and new friends. It just happened that the location gradually would have shifted from the gardens to the arcade.

"Sure thing! Baby comes first!" He leans down to continue petting the kitten. "I'll ask around if one of the other workers will watch over her when I'm gone."

"That's a good idea." She nods her approval. "I'll be back in an hour or so, all right? We'll go then."

And, giving the kitten one more amused look, she heads off to explore the gardens a bit more. But, true to her word, an hour later she finds her way back to that spot, wondering if Wander and his kitten will still be there. "Wander! Are you around?"

When Linda returns, Wander is lying on his back by the bushes, twirling a plucked flower between his fingers. It's kind of easy to spot orange fur among the greenery, especially one that's humming to itself.

"You think she'll be fine without me?" The kitten's so tiny, and even though Wander found someone kind-hearted enough to look after it while it napped, he's still worried.

Linda gives him a curious look as she walks over to join him. "The kitten?" While she can understand his worries, cats from her experience are pretty good even at being left unattended, and as long as the kitten isn't running loose she has a feeling she'll be perfectly fine. So, trying to sound encouraging, she says, "Yeah, I bet she will be. You left her with someone you trust, right? And we don't have to stay long."

"Well, yeah, I mean, she's still a baby, an' what if she misses me?" Baby animals are still babies, and they need extra care.

"Maybe an hour or two at the arcade's okay? We might not get to play all the games, but it'll still be fun."

"It'll make her happier to see you when you get back?" She hopes that's the right thing to say, and the uncertainty shows a little in her tone. She's starting to wonder if Wander would rather not do this at all, but since he hasn't called it off and has found a place for the kitten, she decides not to suggest that unless he does.

Instead, she nods at his compromise. Really, she isn't worried about how many games she gets to play. Part of her is telling her that she's too old for that kind of thing anyway, especially without Rusty's encouragement, and she's going more to explore a bit and meet people anyway. Not that she doesn't mean to join in on the games, though. "Sure, that sounds great. Ready to go?"

That seems to make him feel better. "Yup!" He gets ups and starts walking out of the gardens. Even if he's already missing his kitten, Linda looks like she could really use a trip to the arcade, and he's not sacrificing a friend's plans for the day.

"Whatcha like to do first?" He asks once they're out on the streets. "That dancin' game? Pinball? Maybe those video games? Air hockey? Course, I need somethin' to stand on for some of those things, but the manager is super nice 'bout that, I'm sure!"

She follows, glad when he finally brightens. At his offer, she tilts her head, considering. Only one of the options really jumps out at her, though. "How about we start with air hockey?" It was always Rusty's favorite, so it's something she has a lot of experience with. "I'm sure we can get you something to stand on."

Edited 2015-01-17 23:15 (UTC)

"Sure thing!" He'd say he was pretty good at that game, especially since his short arms provided him just the right amount of range to cover the area right near his slot. And who needed hitting power when you could just aim the puck the right way?

Once they reached the arcade, Wander set off towards the information booth to ask for a stand. There was another group speaking to the worker, so he stood behind them in line and waved at Linda.

"You can head in if ya like!"

Admittedly Linda's style is also built on defense because Rusty is definitely a power player, so this could be interesting. And she finds, as they arrive at the arcade, that she's even feeling a little excited for this opportunity to relax for a while with someone whose company she's coming to enjoy. After all, as positive as Wander is, it'd be hard for it not to rub off on her.

At first, Linda follows Wander to the information booth. When he offers that she can go in ahead, though, she's about to say that she doesn't mind waiting when it occurs to her that this could be a good opportunity to look around before she and Wander start playing games together. So she nods instead. "See you in a few." And she heads inside, immediately blasted by the flashing lights and sounds of the place. She surveys the room, stunned by the size and scope of it; you wouldn't find this arcade in Chester's Mill. But she smiles as she looks around because the place is full of laughing, smiling people, and seeing that warms her heart. She hasn't been around enough of it for a while now.

The folks in front sure take a long time to get what they needed, but it's a mix of politeness and unease at how they're react if he asked them to hurry a bit that stops him. Besides, he and Linda have plenty of time to spare.

It's no hassle getting a stand for himself, as the arcade stocks stands for children and short alien species that visit the resort during better times.

Once he's back, Wander sets the stand by the air hockey table with a loud noise, tried from carrying it all the way here, and starts pushing it over to the side he wants to play on.

It's the sound of Wander setting the stand down that catches Linda's attention. Pulled from her reverie, she makes her way over to the table herself, standing on the other side. "You ready to start?" She grins at Wander, her spirits high just from the cheerful energy of this place, and gestures for him to grab the puck. Considering his height, she has a feeling a face-off in the middle of the table isn't the fairest idea, so she'll let him start things off.

Wander makes a quick grab for the puck, flipping it once, then setting it down on his end of the table.

"I'm ready!" He hits the puck as hard as he can, sending it bouncing off the sides twice and towards Linda's slot.

Wander's orange face, suddenly so intent, is actually pretty amusing, but Linda doesn't let herself get distracted so easily--even if she did also underestimate how hard he would hit the puck. She gets her mallet in front of her slot just in time, meaning she sends the puck bouncing back toward him with just a bit less momentum than it originally came toward her. She's far from done, however. She didn't play all those games with Rusty for nothing!

Okay, okay. It shouldn't be too difficult to his this one. Wander prepares himself as the puck moves closer, then strikes as hard as he can.

Unfortunately, he misses, and he reflexively flails his mallet until the he smacks the puck to his left. Relieved at how close Linda was as getting a goal, Wander now hits it straight back at her.

A straight shot is easy to block, and Linda has no trouble sending it bouncing back his way--fast this time. "You've gotta do better than that!" she says, smirking. So far this game is even more relaxing and fun than she thought it would be. Then again, maybe relaxing isn't the right word--Wander definitely looks like he's going to be a formidable opponent.

Most people try to go easy on Wander, to his surprise. The only notable exceptions were his best friend, sometimes, and a couple of guys that actually weren't that good. Linda is not only a fantastic player, but she's ruthless.

It comes to no surprise that the puck moves too fast for Wander to block it in time, and it drops straight into his slot.

"Yeah!" The energy of that last play gets him excited. "You're really good at this, Linda. Another round?" He leans down to pick up the puck.

Linda really isn't the type to play that way, and she's probably lucky that's being received well by Wander. After all, his smaller frame puts him at a disadvantage, but from what she's seen so far, he has technique.

She grins at him, enjoying this as much as he is. "Definitely! Start it off."

"Here goes!" He smacks the puck again, bouncing it off a wall, but it doesn't seem to to aiming exactly at Linda's goal.

He might not win this, but at least the plays are fun.

His odd aim actually causes her to miss the puck, but she manages to get down by her slot in time to block it and send it back his way. "Nice one."

Even if she hadn't hit it, she wouldn't have minded either. Fun is definitely the aim here, and she's very glad she happened to run into Wander in the gardens. Getting used to her new home has been a difficult adjustment for Linda, but good people make anywhere a better place.

Wander manages to hit the puck this time now that he's focusing on the game more.

All worries of his kitten are long gone now that he's found someone after Braska left that wants to hang out and play games with him. So many of the other imports are so serious, and he kind of misses Sylvia for sharing a bit of that laid-back adventurous spirit he has, but he can tell that Linda is genuinely enjoying herself. And that alone makes him happy.

Linda would be glad to hear that, but she's too distracted by the game at the moment to think about it. Either way, it looks like they're now officially in the middle of what will undoubtedly be an enjoyable afternoon.

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Wander Log | The Kitten

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